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How often do you BF your 3 or 4 month old?

I know I'm supposed to follow her hunger cues, but that's not so easy (especially now that she's getting more expressive and mobile and, say, lapping her tongue could mean about 12 different things). So I follow a loose feeding schedule so that I don't have to worry that I'm not feeding her enough (I shoot for at least 7-8 feedings a day). When I ask people if 7-8 feedings sounds right for a 3 month old, and how many she should be having when she's 4 months old, they just tell me to "follow her hunger cues." Which isn't helpful, especially since I'm going back to work in a month and am really going to have to start scheduling feedings for real at that point (did I mention she refuses to take a bottle so my husband is going to have to bring her to my work to be fed?) So how many times a day do you guys breastfeed your 3 or 4 month old? Thanks!

Re: How often do you BF your 3 or 4 month old?

ds is 3 and a half months and in the day if it gets to 3 hrs then i will feed him...and he will feed well..he usually wnats feeding around every 2 hours..he is quite a quiet baby..well not quiet..he laugh and giggles but rarely fusses...so i know he is hungry when he makes these little odd whiney grunting noises ;-) but if had got to 3 hrs and he hasnt "asked " for a feed i feed him..

at nigth i just let him go when he wants..but..he tends to only go every 3-4 hrs anyway without waking for a feed..again he goes down in 10 mins in his crib with rocking.no crying tho..he just lies there smiling at me or talking to the tiger on his mobile then he gets sleepy and drifts off.(it is a rocking crib) so when he fusses..ill wait a cpl minutes and if he doesnt nod off he wants a feed..

he feeds about 9-10 times a day...i like to make sure he gets at least 8 tho...

Re: How often do you BF your 3 or 4 month old?

When DS was a few weeks old I wondered about that, since all the books say that for the first couple months they usually eat every 2-3 hrs. The books never seemed to say how to feed them when they get older! Nothing really changed for me once he got past two months; he is 5 months old now and I still pretty much feed on demand, which ends up being anywhere from every 2-4 hrs during the day. If it gets to 3.5 hrs and he's still not acting real hungry I offer it and he usually takes it. It's a loose routine of every 2-4 hrs, once or twice at night which ends up being, for us, about 6-9 times per day.

Re: How often do you BF your 3 or 4 month old?

oh my goodness, i thought it'd get easier, but for some reason my 4 month old ds's feedings have become more difficult and have become more whacky. he used to feed about every 2-3 hrs around the clock and a couple times even did a 4-5 hr stretch at night, but now he feeds almost every 2-3 hrs during the day and from around 10pm-7am he'll feed every 30 min-2hrs!! so i end up feeding him already about 7 or 8 times just in the night. i think it might have to do with him teething. or things could've gotten thrown out of whack because of a 3 week trip away to grandma & grandpa's. so i'm hoping that as time progresses the night feedings'll stretch out more. wishing and hoping!!

i always had a difficult time trying to get all the cues down, too. sounds like you're already doing a great job, momma!

Re: How often do you BF your 3 or 4 month old?

Welcome Momma!

I totally understand your situation. It was around 3 months when LO decided she loved her thumb and I got really frustrated trying to figure out hunger cues. My 4 month old doesn't really get mad about lack of food until more than 4 hours. And when she does, she's really MAD , so I don't usually wait that long.

We eat about every 2-4 hours during the day and 3-8 at night. I DO have to keep an eye on the clock, but I agree with PP, 'When in doubt, Whip it out'. If she eats more than 5 mins, I know she was hungry. In the beginning, I usually misread her cues as hunger, when she was actually tired. The 'Textbook' time for baby to be happily awake at this age is 1 hr 15 mins TO 2 hours, so that helps me somewhat.

BTW, from what I've read it's 'supposed' to get easier to set a routine at age 4 months, so maybe there's light at the end of this tunnel. But then you'll always be dealing with Teething and Growth Spurts, so I wouldn't get too excited about that!

Re: How often do you BF your 3 or 4 month old?

My dd2 is about 3 1/2 months old now. She eats every 2-4 hours during the day. Occasionally she does longer during the night, but lately she's been sticking around 3-4 hours at night too. I'm not sure how many feeds that is? I guess around 9-10 a day (I feed on demand so I don't usually count- too much brain power needed to do that!)
Truthfully I'd love to see her sleeping through the night, but she usually takes a 3-4 hour afternoon nap (at the same time as my 22 month old) so I don't want to mess that up! It's my only break when I can get "housework" done! (I use that term loosely... basically dishes and laundry!) I'm hoping to get more into a schedule so that I know she is getting all her feeding in the day and hopefully she'll give up at least one of the night feedings.
Good luck with your little one!

Chris
Happily Married since July 10, 2004
Mom to Katie- June 14, 2006 and Allie- January 21, 2008

Re: How often do you BF your 3 or 4 month old?

My DS is almost 4 months old and his schedule is as follows ( rough)
6:45 am
9:30
12
3:30
5:00
7:30
a little snack at 9:00
2 am

so every 3-4 hours roughly, he only takes a few ounces when I'm away to work for the day ( I come home at noon to feed him), so we make up for it with longer feedings at night. as long as poops and pees are good, it should be all good. Sometimes things get so much easier so quickly ( 5 weeks ago he started sleeping!!! lol) that it seems like something may not be right because its not nearly as hard as it use to be!

1st time mom to Joshua, born 1/23/08 and I every minute of it!!!
Exclusively and mostly !! never ends!